[NFBofSC] A Proclamation on Blind Americans Equality Day, 2022 - The White House

[Steve Cook]

     On Blind Americans Equality Day, we celebrate the essential
contributions of blind and low-vision Americans, whose talents and strength
shape every industry and every community.

 

     In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Presidential
Proclamation honoring the independent spirit of blind Americans and calling
on us all to help build a more accessible Nation.  Twenty-six years later,
in 1990, we came together as Democrats and Republicans to pass the most
sweeping civil rights legislation in a generation - the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) - improving the lives of the now more than 60 million
Americans living with a disability, including more than 7 million with
vision loss.  I was enormously proud to cosponsor that bill as a United
States Senator, and as President, I am making sure that we deliver on its
full promise to end discrimination, increase independence, and expand
opportunity for everyone.

 

     The ADA has been transformational, but it did not end our work.  As
long as disabled Americans - including those who are blind and low-vision -
face barriers to equality, opportunity, and freedom, we have more to do.
That is why, on my first day in office, I was proud to sign an Executive
Order establishing a government-wide commitment to equity for all.  I am
proud to have appointed the first-ever White House Disability Policy
Director and to work every day to make sure that the dignity and rights of
disabled and blind Americans are championed in every policy that we pursue.

 

     During the pandemic, my American Rescue Plan has helped States better
cover low-income adults living with disabilities on Medicaid and given
schools funding to reopen safely, helping to better serve students with
vision loss and other disabilities.  My Administration launched the
Disability Information and Access Line to help blind and other disabled
people schedule COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, and we have expanded the
availability of accessible at-home tests for blind and low-vision Americans.
Meanwhile, my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is expanding access to transit
for blind and other disabled Americans by updating old train stations and
airports.  The Labor Department is defending the rights of workers with
disabilities to receive a fair wage.  My Administration is creating jobs by
funding State and local governments, employers, and nonprofits that hire
more people with disabilities, including vision loss.  Additionally, the
Department of Education is funding projects to teach more STEM teachers
braille, in turn expanding access to STEM education for blind and low-vision
students.  I have also signed Executive Orders to start to remove barriers
that keep too many people with disabilities from voting.

 

     Across the board, we have been making great progress, but I know there
is much more to do to guarantee every American the same fair shot to
contribute, thrive, and succeed.  I will keep fighting to get more disabled
and blind Americans support and care in their own communities, as well as
the workplace accommodations they deserve.  I am proud to join so many
fierce advocates in this cause, and I call today on all Americans to help us
build on the ADA's promise - moving our Nation closer to realizing its full
potential as a place that is truly for everyone.

 

     By joint resolution approved on October 6, 1964 (Public Law 88-628, as
amended), the Congress authorized October 15 of each year as "White Cane
Safety Day," which is recognized today as "Blind Americans Equality Day," to
honor the contributions of blind and low-vision Americans. 

 

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15, 2022, as Blind
Americans Equality Day.  I call upon all government officials, educators,
volunteers and all the people of the United States to mark this day with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

 

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
forty-seventh.

 

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/10/14/a-p
roclamation-on-blind-americans-equality-day-2022/

 

Steve Cook

If you would like to join the Computer Science & Technology Division for the
NFB of SC list serve, please send a message to
<mailto:SC-cstd-subscribe at nfbnet.org> SC-cstd-subscribe at nfbnet.org

 

National Association of Guide Dog Users Board Member

President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the National
Federation of the Blind of SC

1st Vice President of the Columbia chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of SC

1st Vice President of the SC Association of Guide Dog Users Division

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20221018/cfd49ec7/attachment.html>